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In his Easter Sunday homily, delivered in St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O’Brien stressed the ‘common ancestry’ of all Christians as he paid tribute to friends in the Church of Scotland and reiterated the Catholic Church’s commitment to finding full unity. ‘Together in the face of aggressive secularism to maintain our Christian heritage and culture in our great country,’ he said. Pope Benedict XVI warned of aggressive secularism during his visit to Britain last September, when he told Catholics that they must recognise the challenges that confront them on the path of Christian unity as well as in their task of proclaiming Christ today. Cardinal O’Brien said he had been contacted recently by a Presbyterian minister in the Church of Scotland who had contrasted the British Government’s promise to act against the persecution of Christians in other countries while apparently ignoring the increasing marginalisation of Christians in the UK. Pray: that the Church denominations would continue to work together in promoting the Gospel . (Ps.133) More:http://www.christiantoday.co.uk/article/scottish.cardinal.condemns.aggressive.secularism/27878.htm
Cardinal Keith P. O’Brien of St. Andrews and Edinburgh has challenged the Scottish government to hold a nationwide referendum on same-sex 'marriage', following its commitment to schedule a vote for independence, reports Catholic News Agency. ‘Clearly, if it is sensible to hold a referendum on independence, it is crucial that we have one on marriage. It is the only way the country can move forward on this issue,’ Cardinal O’Brien said. The country’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, has so far said he ‘tends towards’ supporting the policy. However, he is also committed to taking onboard those views expressed during his administration’s public consultation on the issue. That three-month process garnered over 77,000 submissions – the highest response rate to any consultation since the devolved Scottish Parliament was created in 1999. It is also three times the number of public responses received for the governing Scottish National Party’s recent consultation on its flagship policy of Scottish independence.
Pray: for the call for a referendum to be successful in upholding Christian marriage. (Dt.23:2)
Scotland remains steadfastly opposed to legalised assisted suicide according to the responses of a Holyrood consultation. The End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill, proposed by independent MSP Margo MacDonald, would allow the terminally ill and those who are ‘permanently physically incapacitated’ to seek assistance in ending their lives. A public consultation on the controversial Bill has revealed that 86 per cent of the consultation’s respondents, some 601 people and organisations, were opposed to the Bill. Gordon Macdonald, Public Policy Officer for the pro-life group Care Not Killing Scotland, welcomed the response, saying: ‘We are very pleased there has been an overwhelming body of evidence against the Bill’. The most common objections raised by the respondents was that the Bill, if passed, would allow children as young as 16 to commit suicide. The Church of Scotland cautioned that 16-year-olds, who are considered too young to drink or drive, are not ‘emotionally mature’ enough to make such decisions. Pray: for protection and sanctity of life to be respected by our governors. (Ge.1:26) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/fresh-blow-to-scottish-assisted-suicide-bill/
Highland Council has removed prayer from its formal meeting agenda after secularists threatened legal action. The decades-old tradition will now be held prior to the formal meeting, in a move criticised by one Councillor as a ‘manifestation of political correctness’. The National Secular Society (NSS) wrote to the Council in the summer calling for the saying of prayers to be dropped or face legal action. A note was then written to all 80 Councillors in the Highlands stating that,‘Time for Prayer and Reflection will be undertaken at 10.30am in the chamber in future for those who wish to attend. This will be preceded by the bell to signal commencement. A second bell will ring to inform Councillors the meeting is about to start, five minutes later than normal, at 10.35am’. But Inverness Councillor Roddy Balfour criticised the move although he said the authority’s hand had been forced. (See Prayer Alert 28-2012)
Pray: that despite the move by the Highland Council these developments will be reversed in answer to our prayers. (Ps.119:169-170)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/scots-council-removes-prayer-from-agenda-after-legal-threats/
Margo MacDonald's ‘End of Life Assistance (Scotland)’ Bill is due to have its first reading on 24 November (the debate may take place earlier). It is vital the Bill is stopped at the first reading. If it progresses to the next stage then some form of euthanasia is likely to be legalised in Scotland. We are asked to pray and/or write to MSP’s to encourage them to vote against the bill. In February the Scottish Parliament established the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill Committee, to consider the general principles of Margo MacDonald's Bill and report on them to the Scottish Parliament. In March the Committee launched a public call for evidence, inviting individuals and organisations to make written submissions with their views on the Bill. The consultation is now closed. Of the 601 people and organisations who gave written evidence to the consultation on the Bill, only 6.5 per cent (39) were in favour of it. Pray: for God inspired decisions regarding this bill, and for the precious gift of life to be protected. (Mt.10:30,31)
In 2010 and 2011 there were 693 charges aggravated by religious prejudice in Scotland. This means a nearly 10 per cent increase in a year and the highest level in four years. 95% of this violence was directed against Christians. Statistics published by the Scottish Government today provide new detail on the scale of religious hate crimes across Scotland. The information has been made available following a pledge made by the First Minister. The data shows that in 2010-11 58 per cent of charges related to offences which were derogatory towards Roman Catholicism and 37 per cent of charges related to offences which were derogatory to Protestantism. 2.3 per cent related to Judaism, and 2.1 per cent related to Islam. There were charges with a religious aggravation in 27 out of Scotland's 32 Local Authority areas.
Pray: for a reversal of these trends; and that God will restrain the hand of the enemy. (Pr.10:11)
The Scottish government said levels of cocaine use had been falling as Scotland has again topped the world league for cocaine consumption. Figures published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) show 3.9% of Scottish residents aged between 16 and 64 used the drug in the past year. That was a higher proportion than in any other country and compares to 2.5% for England and Wales. The figures also showed Scotland with a rate of heroin use twice that of the rest of the United Kingdom. The UN's annual World Drug Report was published in New York as part of the organisation's attempt to understand the trans-national nature of the drug trade which, it says, requires to be tackled globally. Pray: for the authorities to get a grip of this problem. (1Jn.2:26)
Scotland for Marriage is a campaign to support marriage as the union of one man and one woman. This definition has served Scotland well down the centuries. We argue the case for marriage. We draw on a well-researched evidence base which shows that, although death and divorce may prevent it, children do best when raised by their married mother and father. We know that many ordinary Scots whatever their religious beliefs or lack of them, will agree with and lend support to the Scotland for Marriage campaign. Scotland for Marriage – which is supported by some religious groups – opposes the Scottish Government’s proposal to extend the definition to same-sex couples. The campaign said it hoped to leaflet every house in Glasgow and had put the cost of doing so at £15,000. Advertising vans will also be used to put across the opposition to same-sex marriage.
Pray:that this campaign will lead to increased support for marriage.
More:http://scotlandformarriage.org/about-us/
Ofsted’s study suggests that teachers in English schools pay more attention to other faiths and that Christian pupils are being sidelined in class. It has found that the quality of RE in secondary schools is worse than it was three years ago when the last analysis of the subject was carried out, with inadequate teaching in nearly a fifth of lessons. Changes to the curriculum in the early years of secondary school, introduced by the Labour government to increase ‘flexibility’, were having a negative impact on RE; in some schools it has been amalgamated with other lessons and had all but disappeared. The report suggests that other religions are treated more seriously in RE classes. In non-faith state schools, Christian assemblies are being dropped in favour of multi-faith worship, despite a legal requirement for Christian collective worship, and children are no longer taught the Lord's Prayer. A recent survey of more than 500 12-year-olds found that only 54% knew that Christians celebrated the Resurrection at Easter. Pray: that those responsible for our education syllabus re-assess RE teaching to support Christianity. (Ac.3:18)
Two schools in Staffordshire have been accused of trying to ‘silence Christianity’ by banning the Gideons from offering children a free Bible. Despite thousands of schools welcoming the respected group each year, Abbot Beyne School and Paget High School claimed the offer of a Bible was inappropriate. Critics say the schools are being overly sensitive and questioned whether they may be pushing an agnostic agenda. Each year the Gideons offer copies of the New Testament and Psalms to children in thousands of British secondary schools. The Bible Society’s Canon Dr Ann Holt said: ‘I have never met a single person of another faith in this country who objected to distribution of Bibles and the robust teaching of Christian Faith. They expect it. Such actions tend to come from white agnostics with an agenda of their own, or from people who really do not know how to manage the co-existence of a number of faiths.’ Pray: for a change of heart from the school leaders at these schools. (2Sa.22:31) More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/two-schools-block-gideons-offering-bibles/